Trio TV Discontinued; Lifetime Nabs 'Medium' for Fall 2009; Classic 80s Sitcoms from Universal and Sony

Monday, November 21, 2005

Trio TV Discontinued; Lifetime Nabs 'Medium' for Fall 2009; Classic 80s Sitcoms from Universal and Sony

We have a lot of good news to say today. Let me just start off with some bad news just to get that out of the way. Trio TV will be discontinued effective January 1. This is very sad news as they brought us lot of rare classic TV airings over the years. They will still be around in a broadband initiative way on bravotv.com, so we will still see their popular "Brilliant, But Cancelled" block this way. Although that is good, it still isn't as good as having a full TV network. You can read about the demise of Trio TV here. You can also discuss and post your comments there.

Lifetime TV has secured cable rights to the current NBC drama Medium starting in Fall 2009. The drama is currently in its second season on the air and has enjoyed steady ratings Monday nights on NBC. Medium will join a roster of shows including Will & Grace and The Golden Girls, with shows like Frasier, Reba and Still Standing still to come. You can read the press release about the buying of Medium here.

Now to the very big news. I'll start off with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. We already broke you the news that Diff'rent Strokes Season 2 was coming January 31, well, today Sony made it official! It will be a 3-disc set featuring all 26 half hours (we are not sure yet how the multiple part episodes will be handled, either in two parts or the full hour format). 650 minutes of Arnold at his best! No idea yet if any special features will be included again, but I doubt there will be any.
Sony also made it official today that season one of Archie Bunker's Place is coming the same day! Another 3-disc set featuring all 24 half hours running 590 minutes long. We were told Maude would be possibly paired with this show, but looks like it won't happen on this date. But I know Maude is coming soon, but no idea yet exactly when. So be patient Maude fans--you'll get Bea Arthur soon!
Now to the suprise of the day! Universal Home Video announced today that on Valentine's Day 2006 (Feb. 14) they will release two classic '80s sitcoms! Join the late Nell Carter in Gimme a Break! and Scott Baio in Charles in Charge for the first time on DVD! This was a great surprise to wake up to on a Monday morning. Universal made it official today with cover art! Get your first look at the full size cover art for BOTH sitcoms here. TVShowsonDVD.com has details on both sets, for Charles in Charge click here, for Gimme a Break! click here. This is very exciting and we hope Universal continues to release sitcoms. As of now they had only released The Munsters and Dream On, with Leave it to Beaver coming out tomorrow. Universal is known more for its movies and TV dramas, but they also have some good sitcoms. Let's hope and pray we get subsequent seasons of these two shows and they start releasing other sitcoms such as Coach, Amen, McHale's Navy, Out of this World, My Secret Identity, Major Dad, Harper Valley PTA, and the short lived Something So Right and Parenthood. This is a step in the right direction for Universal--please buy Gimme a Break! and Charles in Charge when they come out. It will make a big difference.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Monday, April 20

The Neighorhood - "Welcome to Purse Dog" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Calvin reluctantly agrees to dog-sit a glamorous little companion, only to face an awkward twist when someone else lays claim to it. Meanwhile, a joint celebration prompts Malcolm to question whether he and Mercedes are moving too fast. Amber Stevens West guest stars as Mercedes, Malcolm's Girlfriend.

DMV - "Drive-ory Tower" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Colette tries to bridge a growing divide at the office by bringing the driving examiners and counter clerks together. Meanwhile, Vic stubbornly avoids seeing a doctor after an unusual injury, forcing Barb to get creative to help him.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of April 20)

Monday, April 20

Kal Penn (The Santa Clauses/Sunnyside/We Are Men) - Watch Kal on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary) - Quinta appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC. She also talks about Abbott Elementary on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
Don Cheadle (The Wonder Years/Black Monday/House of Lies/The Golden Palace) - Don is a guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Henry Winkler (Barry/Arrested Development/Out of Practice/Monty/Happy Days) - Henry stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. He also talks about Hazardous History with Henry Winkler on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
Lea Michele (The Mayor) - Lea appears on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Aaron Tveit (Schmigadoon!) - Aaron is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
B.J. Novak (The Office) and Jim Parsons (Young Sheldon/The Big Bang Theory) - Andy Cohen interviews B.J. and Jim on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 9pm on Bravo.
William Stanford Harris (Abbott Elementary) - William talks about Abbott Elementary on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
Ramy Youssef (#1 Happy Family USA/Ramy/See Dad Run) - Ramy chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Laurie Metcalf (Big Mistakes/The Conners/Roseanne/The McCarthys/The Norm Show) - Laurie talks about Big Mistakes on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis at 7pm.
Jane Fonda (Grace and Frankie) - NBC's Today catches up with Jane in the 9am hour.
Christopher Briney (Hacks) - Christopher talks about Hacks on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
Blair Underwood (Fatherhood/The New Adventures of Old Christine) - Blair tells Sherri about his new memoir A Soldier's Wife: My Mother, the Marvelous Mrs. Marilyn A. Underwood on Sherri, so check your local listings.
Phoebe Dynevor (Younger) - Phoebe is telling Drew about her new movie Thrash on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Dan Bucatinsky (The Comeback/Marry Me/Web Therapy) - Dan appears on New York Living on WPIX in New York at 10:05am.